Here in Ireland? haha...how good is God.

 Ireland…you forget where you are sometimes…the only thing I can compare it to is waking up from a dream—except that all was before is now past, almost beyond my ability to recognize it as fact because it feels dream-like. And being here, among this tribe and finding out who I am among them feels more substantial than anything that was before. I get to live in the dream—things I had been hoping and praying, almost without any faith that they could be reality—they’re here now. And yeah, that seems dramatic—but it’s the most accurate way for me to articulate my present reality.

Let me paint a picture of where we are as a school and what God has done with all these hungry children of His: a lot of repentance (and heart-felt, not contrived) which has lead us into His Presence, worship where we touch heaven and camaraderie that brings hope. It is obviously not without its limitations and times when we must press through into all that He calls us to, but He is drawing more and more freedom and joy out as the days go by. I personally am finding myself in a new place: coming out of drought. I had few close friends who were near geographically, now I need only to step outside my bedroom door—well, actually, they live with me…I don’t even have to get out of bed to have relationship—they’re all right here, asking me how I am doing, choosing to be present with me. It’s deep relationships and community which is open and near,  deep trust developing, an awareness among us of the Spirit of God moving and we get to be part of it.

My favorite room is the Prayer Room—I keep flying away to this sanctuary where we press in and ask for more. And it’s coming—in a little town where class lines are drawn and hatred can press in close, God is unlocking hearts. A tiny team goes to the pub every Tuesday and last week a patron was talking with one of our older leaders about my fellow YWAMer’s. “I want what they have,” he said. The leader, Damien, said, “You realize what they have is God, right? And He’s available to you right now?” And this gentleman prayed and accepted Jesus and is now praying for us! This is the first of many, I am declaring in faith!

We have intercession multiple times throughout our week (we are LOVING hearing from God together!) Today Damien (same guy in the pub) told stories of villagers he knows—they’re struggles and hang ups, wrote their names on pieces of paper, and had us circulate the room in teams praying for them. We’re learning what and how these people live…there is so much more that the Lord wants to point out here. I can almost see the chariots of fire and angels ready to descend on this town, to finally bring hope and life where the enemy has for too long had his way. Join us in our brave Warrior prayers! I am running with excellence and among excellent people.

Living in a "Drought'

I hope I can help us do a little remembering where we are, wherever we find our hearts.

There are impossibilities we face as those who follow our King. Obstacles which loom large, mountains we must overcome, dreams yet untasted…too many fall short, look at the disappointment and speak against their own hearts, effectively cutting off what the Lord may want to do through the difficulty. We proclaim our demise before it ever has come to be—for the only true failure is death and even that has been conquered by the Son of Man—and we decide to abandon that which has not even taken it’s last breath yet.

We give in far too easily.

This is a call to come alive again, to dig deep down in the midst of the shattered pieces of your heart—the barbs may cut, the wounds, they do go deep—and begin to cry out again. Put on your tongue the Words Jesus has spoken over you. Many have come from human sources, many more have come from His beautiful Word to His people, the Bible. Wherever you are, start to proclaim truth, life and hope in the form of declarations of His love and provision into the areas of your life which you thought were dead and without hope—He wants to bring a garden to bear there.

It’s a new day.

Your last few seasons, where you have been the last few years, may seem dry and desolate—some would say dead. You can’t see how a garden would ever come to bear a crop here. I say, “Look again!” This is my promise for the next season, after the terrible dryness that hung like clouds of dust in my soul. He may give you your own promise as you look through His Word but in the meantime, borrow mine and proclaim it over whatever the enemy told you was dead and gone. Know that the Lord is certainly not done with you yet and that every Word He sends out will come to bear fruit in His time, as you look into His face. Let His work be done on your life as you cry out for it, continually seeking Him through the night season until you see the break of day.

For the Lord comforts Zion [Robin];

He comforts all her waste places

And makes her wilderness like Eden,

Her desert like the garden of the Lord;

Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song.

Isaiah 52:3

My desert will bloom, for He will do the work. It is no longer I but Christ who lives in me and He is the promise of hope, the ultimate promise of a dream fulfilled: the one where death dies. When a resurrected man stands in your camp, you can no longer proclaim “death”. So I call you, church of California, to stop proclaiming “drought” over the land that the Lord has brought under your care. If the risen Savior stands with you, intercedes with you, dreams over you, you cannot proclaim death as your lot anylonger. Begin to seek Him earnestly and ask what He longs to see done in this nation, starting here, in California, this beautiful state. Then, once you have heard living words from Him, begin to proclaim them and not the word of the world. We are called to be a peculiar people. Begin now. Seek His face while it may be found and CRY OUT for rain!!!

A few more pictures of Yosemite just four years ago, before we started crying out 'Drought!' He can restore...

Life is Not What You Expect--and Trust Takes Time

Hit the ground, hit the ground, hit the ground, oh, oh
Only sound, only sound, that you hear is "no"
You never saw it coming
Slipped when you started running
And now you've come undone, and I, I, I, I

Seen you fall, seen you crawl, on your knees, eh, eh
Seen you lost in a crowd, seen your colors fade
Wish I could make it better
Someday you won't remember,
This pain you thought would last forever and ever

[Chorus]
There you'll stand, ten feet tall
I will say, "I knew it all along"
Your eyes, wider than distance
This life is sweeter than fiction

Just a shot, just a shot, in the dark, oh, oh
All you got, all you got, are your shattered hopes
They never saw it coming
You hit the ground running
And now you're on to something
I, I, I say

What a sight, what a sight, when the light came on
Proved me right, proved me right, when you proved them wrong
And in this perfect weather
It's like we don't remember
The rain we thought would last forever and ever

[Chorus]
There you'll stand, ten feet tall
I will say, "I knew it all along"
Your eyes, wider than distance
This life is sweeter than fiction

There you'll stand, next to me
All at once, the rest is history
Your eyes, wider than distance
This life is sweeter than fiction (fiction)

[Bridge]
I'll be one of the many saying
Look at you now, look at you now, now
I'll be one of the many saying
You made us proud, you made us proud, proud

I'll be one of the many saying
Look at you now, look at you now, now
I'll be one of the many saying
You made us proud, you made us proud, proud

And when they call your name
And they put your picture in a frame
You know that I'll be there time and again
'Cause I loved you when

When you hit the ground, hit the ground, hit the ground, oh oh
Only sound, only sound that you heard was "no"
Now in this perfect weather
It's like we don't remember
The rain we thought would last forever and ever (forever)

[Chorus]
There you'll stand, ten feet tall
I will say, "I knew it all along"
Your eyes, wider than distance
This life is sweeter than fiction

There you'll stand, next to me
All at once, the rest is history
Your eyes, wider than distance
This life is sweeter than fiction, fiction

Sweeter than fiction,
It's sweeter, yeah,
It's sweeter, it's sweeter,
Sweeter than fiction



Read more: Taylor Swift - Sweeter Than Fiction Lyrics | MetroLyrics

haha, I meant to post this video

but the last thing I copied happened to be the lyrics to that awesome Taylor Swift song (yes, I am one of her fans!) and I'll let it be. Take the hope from it--your journey is not over and when you do get to the beautiful place where God has destined to set you--we will all cheer! Hang in for the moment, if you're in the waiting--you're in good company :) Excellent company, worthy company, doesn't get better than what you find here! (Egotistical much? haha, I love writing ridiculous things!)

I like the afore mentioned video because--interestingly enough--it speaks to the audacity of relationships (all, but I'm thinking particularly of marriage) and how the trust we need to build these relationships takes time. Simple message, right, nothing super profound--but yet so many of us miss this! I'm just thinking out loud of the girls who will walk away into the dark with a boy who they just meet and are willing to do what's asked of them because he's cute. (Not that this happened anytime recently anywhere I have been...) I mean, self-respect, worthiness, loyalty, protecting your heart--do these exist?

Relationships take time, balance, precision (seriously, watch the video, it's so awesome) all of which are displayed in this Cirque de Soleil clip. By time, I mean--time! You do not fall in love with someone without putting the time in, being set in their presence more than once. And you can't keep falling in love with them and giving of yourself to them day after day and night after night if the time is too short--spend that precious commodity wisely.

Balance--aah! It just takes two to tango (this is where I can get it wrong--the tango scares me!!! haha) but seriously, it takes work and delight and speaking words of hope and affirmation into the relationship on both sides. You have to speak life into what is forming between you two--or it will die. (I've seen it! Grisly affair...) You can't be the only one moving forward--and you can't drag each other around. Balance--this is key. Balance in your ability to communicate, your intelligence levels (hopefully! haha, I'm just cracking myself up today), your needs, your dreams for the future--if these are slightly off, you must work at meeting each other--right?

Precision--intentionality...this is the choice to meet the other person where they are at, when you are in that moment with them, you are with them and them alone. Another person is not on your mind, you're not checking out your facebook wall--you are there. Because their life hangs in the balance, because you are the closest one to their heart, because its just to easy to get hurt if...if one of us forgets to care and lets go.

Because this is a do-or-die thing, jumping into relationships. God asks us to give of ourselves fully, to die to ourselves, in order to follow Him completely, with our whole heart. Something in me--that self preservation--has to die every day as I choose to be with God and do as He asks me to do. And I'm not good at that, I can promise you. But I'm a little closer today. My trust has grown past what it was a year ago, for certain. I am growing into this dance between Father, Son and Holy Spirit--finding my place. 

Marriage--isn't marriage a death? (Don't ask me why I can't write about anything but love and marriage lately--it is not intentionally, I just write what's in me, take it or leave it!) But seriously, when you begin a marriage, that day you are making a proclamation to die to yourself and all your worldly wants and where you thought you had to go in life--and instead care about him/her more than you will ever care about yourself. It's a death. It's letting go of having to have your own way and being in charge of your own body and all the coinciding that a life now lived together details--it's a death.

But isn't it also a life to something grander, something with more purpose? Sure, you had to give up your three hour video game sessions or your long nights in front of the TV watching the Bachelor--but weren't those things on the way to destroying you anyway? Yeah, you can't sleep with everything that moves--but that was just weird anyway! You should have never been that person! (heehee) It's almost like--now its being demanded of you that you are someone better than you planned to be and come hail or high water, s/he will drag that good person out of you.

Okay, it's really demanding. And no one is perfect, so you won't get it right. That's just the reality of the beast--but hey! If you choose to rise to this beloved persons expectations of what they think you could be then (with God's help) maybe you are that brave or smart or cunning or able to rescue the cat out of that tree. Just think of all you could do with all that love behind you. It's a little (or a lottle!) overwhelming.

But isn't that how God stands behind us? His love and all His plans are much grander than we could have ever picked out. "Hey, you there, yeah, you kid? (whispers His dream in your ear as your eyes go wide) Yup, that's about the sum of it! Go on, get out there!" And then you skip away, looking back at Him wonderingly, "He thinks I can...?"

It's a powerful force, love. It's a powerful love, knowing God has dreams for you that only you can accomplish. And you just have no idea how to go about them, but He'll be the one behind you, giving you strength, endurance, passion--isn't that such a bit of beauty, a new spark?--hope.

Hope. There is a big God and He has big dreams. He sent His Son to die, not so we would stand around wailing and lamenting it forever ("oh, how shameful am I! I can't believe He had to die for me!"--and I'm making fun of no one but myself as I write this. It's how I used to live) Rather, (and this is the creepy, scary, spooky part that a lot of people miss when they look at Christianity) we were made to be filled with His new life, the life even that brought Him back from the dead! It's like--we've been pretending that there was nothing left to do after you said you'd follow Jesus--so you just sit there, saying, "I follow Jesus!" And then all of a sudden, a lightning bolt strikes and God says, "Get moving! There's a world out there needs some saving--we've got to see them healed and renewed in body and soul and you 'uns are the ones to do it! Now scram!" And then He fills us up with His power and out we run.

Yup, that's about the size of it. (sidenote: Can you tell I just watched the play Oklahoma--my, my, I sure do pick up on the idiosyncrasies of language right quick and then they get stuck in my writing and speech. You should hear me after I've watched the comedian Will Reagan! and when I write after reading Lord of the Rings--oh Middle Earth! haha) Learning to move out of His love, not just have a knowledge of it.

So, trust...watch that video and tell me that you will put yourself in a jeopardizing situation, out in the dark with a boy you don't know. Tell me you're going to trust your life to anyone but Jesus. There are some things that there are no two ways about--trust takes time and putting your life into someone else's hands is a big deal. It is worth it--who wouldn't want all that love behind them?--but the choice must be made careful. These are the forever things, dontcha know?
 

Is Victory Yours Today...?

Just wanted to put something out here...

Have you ever had a dream/vision that God kept speaking to and pouring Himself into and reminding you of, to the point where you were always writing about it and praying about it and discussing it with Him and others? (Of course! haha) Then one little twitchy lie comes along and because you're a "righteous" person and you only want what's "best" for God and the world you agree with the lie?

Yiyksies!!! This was me today!

I know God has me headed in a certain direction and has been earnestly preparing me for something and it's close. Just over the horizon (days? months? years? His timing! said with a joyful shout!) I will see the fulfillment of all the joyous work of praying, seeking and hoping that has been my heart for a few years now. It will be a time of healing, hope and a declaration of a good God who remains faithful and sees us through some of our toughest times.

This is not without The Fight. Those things which God breathes most on will also be most hunted down by the enemy of our souls. Take heart! He has no victory as long as we are looking to Jesus and held by His love--but always be on the lookout.

This is a call to be aware of your heart, open to the voice of your God and sensitive to the messages broadcasting through your mind. There is a war going on for your very soul and it wages at all times. We can rest in our Father's loving arms, but we need to be aware of the battle and stand firm when temptations come. Whether the temptation is to make a false move which could cost you your very life (emotionally, physically or spiritually), the temptation to believe the lie that may be spoken to you over and over from various vicinities or the the temptation to just check out from the game, don't give in! Head up, heart strong, planted firmly in His Word, march on!

The best way I know of to keep my heart safe and be aware of the forces at work in my life is threefold:

1) Journaling: when I start to write my thoughts out, I can discern them more clearly, identifying lies I have believed and looking to Him for truth. Father often speaks through me as I write and as I read back over entries, His truth becomes clear. For the lie that was spoken today--I did give in, but then rescinded when I read the words of my journal and remembered so clearly that what I was putting my effort, joy and hope into was something He had promised me--it had been going on for so long and so consistently that this other small lie had no place in the face of His faithfulness. I could recognize the work of the enemy by seeing clearly the faithfulness, joy and prosperity God had put on this dream that I must keep chasing afetr!

2) His Word: God often speaks loudest and clearest as we stare into the pages of His Word. He wants to give us wisdom and courage in our great battles (and the battle you wage today may look like nothing from the outside, but He knows what they cost you and the importance of the victory for you and He is always willing and able to help us fight!), His Word is the way He musters up courage and wages war. In a lot of cases, consistently putting God's Word in your heart, soul and mind will keep the lies of the enemy out: we will be so saturated in the Word that when a lie tries to reach inside us, we recognize it immeadiately and banish the thought. This is a call to arms--I too need to more consistently dive in His Word to be armed for battle.

3) Solid Friendships/Community--there is no greater treasure (beyond salvation) than the gift of fellowship, in other words having other believers who know you and can diligently and on a regualr basis speak into your life. I was fortunate in my college years to live in a drom and become close friends with several other young women who were drawing close to the Lord as I was. We were consistently in one anothers lives and often helped see each other through some tough battles (ex. best roommate in the world Justina praying my stage fright right out of me). Then I moved off campus and spent a few years living with other godly roommates, some of whom saw me through the nightmare that student teaching can be (thanks to them no junior highers were harmed in the making of this teacher). Over and over again my sisters (and a few brothers) have been essential in seeing me through my trials and helping me see what I have gained as I summit the mountaintops of life. Find significant, godly friends who will be a light to you and speak truth in their conversations with you.

Yup, those are my thoughts! Keep waging war and may Your eyes be ever focused on Your King--He is Waging War for you and your eyes will see the Victory!